Year of publication:
2004
Journal name:
The Journal of Neuroscience
Molecules and Mechanisms of Mechanotransduction
http://www.jneurosci.org –
To many animals, including humans, some of the best things in life are mechanical. Not only courtship and sex but also simple movements such as walking depend on the ability to transform mechanical energy in the form of touch, sound, and muscle tension into ionic currents. This ability is also essential for control of osmotic balance, bladder function, and blood pressure in mammals. To meet these diverse needs, animals bear numerous sensory organs that contain either ciliated or nonciliated mechanoreceptor cells. Read more »
Category: Mechanosensors in Sensory Cells Tags:
Harmonin Mutations Cause Mechanotransduction Defects in Cochlear Hair Cells
http://www.sciencedirect.com –
In hair cells, mechanotransduction channels are gated by tip links, the extracellular filaments that consist of cadherin 23 (CDH23) and protocadherin 15 (PCDH15) and connect the stereocilia of each hair cell. However, which molecules mediate cadherin function at tip links is not known. Here we show that the PDZ-domain protein harmonin is a component of the upper tip-link density (UTLD), where CDH23 inserts into the stereociliary membrane. Harmonin domains that mediate interactions with CDH23 and F-actin control harmonin localization in stereocilia and are necessary for normal hearing. Read more »
Year of publication:
2009
Journal name:
Neuron
Category: Mechanosensors in Sensory Cells Tags: